“MK Dons should definitely be looking up rather than down”

Former England international Danny Mills has said MK Dons should be setting their sights on the Championship following their promotion from League Two.

After seeing the likes of Wrexham, Stockport County and Bradford City fighting at the sharp end of League One after coming up from the fourth tier in the last couple of years, the ex-Leeds United and Manchester City defender sees no reason why Paul Warne’s side cannot replicate them by carrying their momentum into next season.

Having spent 15 seasons in League One through their history, only once have Dons managed to go up to the Championship, but Mills, speaking to Bet St George, said the difference between Leagues One and Two is not as big a jump as it once was.

He said: “MK Dons should definitely be looking up rather than down because they've got all the facilities, they've got a fantastic stadium. We've seen it before, teams can go from League Two into the Championship quite quickly. It's very doable within that.

“It's much harder to go from League One, to the Championship and then into the Premier League. But to go back-to-back from one level down is easier and it's certainly doable. There are numerous teams that have done that.”

With Dons set to be backed heavily by owner Fahad Al Ghanim this summer as Warne rebuilds the squad for the next level, Mills admitted money talks in football.

He continued: “Generally, the amount you spend on players and wages has a direct correlation to where you finish in the league. There are always slight discrepancies in that.

“In the Premier League, the teams that spend the most money and have the biggest wages generally finish higher up the league. This is a fact of football: quality rises to the top over the course of the season.

”Teams in League One think they have a chance to punch above their weight and make it into the Championship. This competitive edge and the many unknowns are why the EFL is so popular compared to the Premier League.”